


In Maine, or Out?

by Lesbian_Thespian



Category: Almost Maine - John Cariani
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Really it’s just gay, but thats it, oh there is beer if that makes you uncomfortable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 18:49:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14338809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesbian_Thespian/pseuds/Lesbian_Thespian
Summary: One week later, Deena has still not said I love you back to Shelly. Shelly has a surprise in place to hopefully fix that, but it may not go as smoothly as anticipated.





	In Maine, or Out?

**Author's Note:**

> If you were in the SCHS production of Almost, Maine this was most definitely not written by Ella.

“How about now?” Deena groaned as she allowed Shelly to lead her further.

“Almost!” Shelly assured her.

“Almost? We’ve been walking so long I know we’re not in Almost anymore!” Deena joked.

“Ha ha,” Shelly deadpanned, “but seriously! We’re almost there!” And sure enough, within a few moments, Shelly lifted her hands to reveal to Deena: a dinner date. 

There was grilled cod and Natty Lite and… it was in the potato field, exactly where they had fallen last week.

“Oh Shelly, you shouldn’t have!” Deena squealed.

“Oh, it was nothing!” Shelly said bashfully.

“No really, you should have. Jeezum Crow don't you know this is East’s land?” Deena shot out, mockingly.

Shelly couldn’t help but chortle, “he can’t see our here, and he would have the gall to give us the boot anyway, I’m his boss you know.” She retorted.

Deena chuckled back, and walked up to the chair and sat in it, she gazed out on to the adjacent lake. It was how she remembered it, except better. But, something still ate at her, and something was eating at Shelly, too.

Shelly sat down in her own seat and grabbed a bottle opener from her pocket. She opened the beers and proposed a toast. “To us,” she declared.  
Deena raised her beer back and the two ceremoniously clinked. As they both took a sip a natural silence fell.

Deena felt she could live in this quiet place forever until Shelly shattered it with a heartfelt “I love you.”  
She froze. This wasn’t new information, but it still shocked her. She knew Shelly loved her, and she knew that she… felt the same. 

She choked out a feeble “yeah”.

Shelly retreated back a bit, but returned to her. “It’s just, I can’t believe every Friday we’d complain about all those terrible dates and now, here we are! I was worried that it would turn out like the rest, that I would leave feeling lonelier and more helpless, but I can already tell I won’t.”

This brought Deena back, too. She smiled back at Shelly. “Yeah, I don’t think that I could go back. This is too… perfect, you’re perfect,” Deena said wholeheartedly, “really I don’t know what I’d do without you I…” and somehow the moment was robbed from her. Shelly sat expectantly, craving to hear what’s already been said, but it wouldn’t come. Deena’s courage drained and she looked down to the used up earth below. 

It went quiet again, but now it was clawing and tense. Shelly poked at the cod and Deena took a swig. She closed her eyes tight and reopened them, hoping to find a renewed sense of confidence.

When she opened her eyes, all she saw was dirt.

Her fingers gripped the table and she squeezed her beer bottle. She felt the unease rise up her throat and she suddenly started shaking.

Shelly noticed. “Deena? What’s wrong?” She said, worried.

Deena wanted to say, “nothing, I’m fine, it’s ok,” but she couldn’t. Instead she choked on air. Tears blurred her vision, to her dismay and she very shortly got up and began to walk away.

“Deena!” Shelly yelped. She jumped up to follow and asked, “where are you going?” 

Deena didn’t bother answering. This was like last week, but the same. She kept on walking until Shelly grabbed her wrist.

“Deena, what is it?” She asked, concern in her tone.

Deena turned to her but could barely stand to see her. Shelly was perfect. Oh so perfect. And here Deena was, leaving her. She was leaving the one good thing she had found, again.

No. No she wasn’t. Deena looked Shelly in the eyes, determined again to say it. Instead, what came out was: “Shelly, I’m so scared of you.”

Shelly immediately let go of her and took a step back. “... what?” She asked in quiet shock.

“I mean,” Deena began to correct herself, but she wasn’t lying. She was absolutely terrified of what Shelly was doing to her. “I mean… I’m scared of what’s happening.”

Shelly stayed quiet now, listening intently.  
Deena continued, “I value our friendship more than I value any thing else, I’d trade the world for you Shelly, but, our relationship… I can barely begin to tell you what that means to me, Shell. It’s just, what you said, of course I’ve thought it too. What if this destroys us? And I’m not talking about if the town riots against us, ‘cause they won’t. I mean, what if we really do end up like those other dates. I mean, I don’t think I could talk to Darren ever again after last time, what if,” she paused in abject horror, “what if I can stand to be around you anymore, Shelly? What if this ends our friendship?” 

Shelly came back, she put Deena’s hands in her own and said, “It won’t. I promise you I will not allow that to happen, I love you, as my best friend and as my girlfriend,” at that Deena’s breath hitched, “in both regards, I will not let us fall apart.” 

She pulled Deena closer. “You hear me? I will not let go. You matter too much to me for that to happen.”

Deena stared at her in awe. She was still shaking, still tearing up, but it was better. She embraced Shelly close and choked out a few sobs. Shelly returned the grip and rubbed her back.

“I,” Deena started, before pulling back to look Shelly in the eyes, “I love you, Shell, more than you or I even know.” And she pulled back into the hug. And miraculously, they both collapsed to the ground. 

Neither could tell if this was falling in love all over again, or if they had just lost balance in the emotional high, but instead of worrying about that they both just stayed together, in the dirt. Crying, laughing, and loving. They laid there, under the inky sky with bright, twinkling specs. The cold air surrounded and filled them, like before, but so much better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first fanfic! I write it on one go so if you have suggestions just let me know! I don’t usually speak in limericks but that’s fine.


End file.
